Ivory Coast says it can help farmers escape poverty by demanding cocoa buyers pay a premium known as the living income differential, which is about $400 a ton of cocoa. But in practice, most buyers have one where another avoided paying a higher price partly because they've managed to negotiate down another part of the price. Part of what seems to be happening is that big cocoa processes have tried to source more cocoa from outside of Ivory Coast and Ghana.
A pair of crises will bedevil Europe, starting with crippling energy prices in the short term. And American protectionism threatens a longer-term dent in the continent’s green-industry ambitions. A visit to Ivory Coast’s cocoa operations reveals why balancing farmers’ welfare and market forces is so tricky. And what Britain’s street names reveal about its history and its ideals.
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